Saturday, December 31, 2011

I just finished reading "The Wind up Bird Chronicle," and the plot of it requires that the main character be unreachable by phone when he is outside of his house. How different a world that was, where going out into the world to meet other people actually isolated you in some ways. This dated the novel entirely. It became a novel about sometime last century instead of just a novel.

Consider writing a story about someone who gets lost on a road trip or a walk. This is an archetypical setup, but how difficult it would be to do that today, to set that up in a way that rules out all the obvious ways of getting directions in an entirely uninteresting way from our smart phones? I can imagine it now: "My battery was too low to get signal, and between my two companions, one doesn't have a nationwide data plan, and the other is with a second tier carrier with poor 3g coverage, so miraculously, we have to talk to another person, and thus move the plot forward in an interesting way." Even after all those awkward contortions, that setup probably has a half-life of 5 years.

All of us spend a lot of our lives on our computers, but what we do on them can't be written about in a way that is both poetic and accurate. We just don't have enough words for it. Every humble tool in a leatherworker's arsenal has its own name (the awl for instance.) These things have been around for long enough for that to happen, and to gain the gravity that makes them candidates for metaphor. The pen is still mightier than the sword, even though we no longer use either. The keyboard may be mightier than the cruise missile, but I can't imagine saying that with any dramatic weight.

The basic ways we do common things are not only different, but changing from year to year. Henceforth a novel will have to choose a time period in which to take place, and choosing "now" will make it historical fiction by the time it is published.

Creations

Where am I?

Ryan's shared items

Things I Support

No matter your political beliefs, if you value freedom you can support this group. They are dogmatically consistent in their support of personal freedom, even when it conflicts with public opinion and common sense. They ask the questions that should be asked. As such, I support them even when I disagree with their position on any particular issue. They are as essential to the functioning of our society as the media.

It's unfortunate that the political issues surrounding the Boy Scouts of America have overshadowed the rest of what it does. It is responsible for more of my values and character than any other influence, and remains a fantastic organization. On the issue of permitting Gays and Atheists to be members, I consider myself part of the loyal opposition. As an Atheist myself and an Eagle Scout, I will support and participate in the organization so long as it will accept my support and participation.

The Nature Conservancy takes a unique approach to protecting wildlife. Their primary methodology is to simply take the money you donate and use it to buy land. Political progress is one election away from reversal, but the progress of the Nature Conservancy is as permanent as property rights.

A microfinance charity with a personal twist, Kiva matches lenders in the developed world with people whose lives could be substantially and permanently improved with a small loan. The loans are interest free, but you get your money back at the end of the term and improve someone's life in the process.

Freedom of speech is the most essential right. All others spring from it. In the US, we protect speech, even reprehensible hateful speech, more thoroughly than any other nation on earth. Many people aren't nearly so lucky.

Carriage House FarmThey provide fresh local produce, honey, and horse stabling to the greater Cincinnati area. If you are interested in the workings of a farm, keeping bees, the politics of local food and family owned farms, or just what produce will be available at the next market, check out the frequently updated blog.

This game is definitely the most fun I've had online, and I also worked on it! Imagine Starcraft where each unit is controlled by a human and you'll be pretty close to imagining this game.

It's heartwarming that an organization that believes in bringing all knowledge to everyone just by creating the tools to allow everyone to volunteer is actually succeeding at it.